Designing a Learning Progression about Micro-Evolution to Inform Instruction and Assessment in Elementary Science

Autor/inn/en	Cardace, Amy; Wilson, Mark; Metz, Kathleen E.
Titel	Designing a Learning Progression about Micro-Evolution to Inform Instruction and Assessment in Elementary Science
Quelle	In: Education Sciences, 11 (2021), Artikel 609 (22 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Cardace, Amy) ORCID (Wilson, Mark)
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	2227-7102
Schlagwörter	Evolution; Science Instruction; Elementary School Science; Elementary School Students; Logical Thinking; Biology; Scientific Concepts; Concept Formation; Environmental Influences; Learning Processes; Thinking Skills; Inquiry; Grade 2; Grade 3; Animals; Models + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Teaching of science; Science education; Natural sciences Lessons; Naturwissenschaftlicher Unterricht; Biologie; Concept learning; Begriffsbildung; Environmental influence; Umwelteinfluss; Learning process; Lernprozess; Denkfähigkeit; School year 02; 2. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 02; School year 03; 3. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 03; Animal; Tier; Tiere; Analogiemodell
Abstract	This paper gives an example of how to address the challenge of designing a learning progression that describes student thinking, with the necessary specificity to align instructional opportunities and assessment tools. We describe the Conceptual Underpinnings of Evolution project and the iterative process of developing a novel learning progression theory, while critically testing that theory using structured interview data analyzed with Rasch models. We investigate elementary students' capacities for reasoning in biology, specifically focusing on microevolution as a strategic core idea for students between the ages of seven and nine. The learning progression theory informed the design of two instructional modules which aimed to build on students' intuitions. The modules provided opportunities for students to engage in scientific practices framed to develop more adequate explanations about how organisms may change over time, in accordance with environmental changes. Aligning the learning progression, instructional activities, and structured interview assessment was critical for meeting two of our underlying assumptions: that students' reasoning capacities rely on instructional opportunities; and that students' assessment scores must be interpretable in terms of learning progression levels. We share both initial and late-stage versions of the learning progression and describe how item-level information and Rasch analyses helped both to specify the learning progression levels and to define the two underlying dimensions. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	MDPI AG. Klybeckstrasse 64, 4057 Basel, Switzerland. e-mail: education@mdpi.com; e-mail: indexing@mdpi.com; Web site: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/education
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01